MySQL Storage Engines
Hi!
It has been very hot recently. Please take good care of yourself.
Today, I would like to deliver a tip for “MySQL Storage Engine”, which was written by Mikiya Okuno, MySQL Senior Technical Support Engineer. Are you familiar with storage engine? Let’s learn about the storage engine together!
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MySQL is so popular and used for various applications. One of the reasons is its flexibility which is achieved by a technology called the “Storage Engine”. The storage engine is an essential concept to MySQL.
MySQL utilizes virtualized and abstracted layers which can be switched per table. These layers are the storage engine. MySQL brings out high performance by switching depending on application’s requirements and data access pattern. The storage engine is one of the most important elements and attracting a lot of attention of engineers.
MySQL has the following storage engines available:
== MyISAM ==
MyISAM is MySQL’s default storage engine. MyISAM is light, but is not suitable for an application which writes a lot. Non-transactional storage engine.
== InnoDB ==
InnoDB is a transactional storage engine developed by Innobase OY with high flexibility which accommodates various applications. Therefore, InnoDB is the most popular storage engine for MySQL users.
== MEMORY ==
MEMORY is a storage engine which stores all data in a memory. It operates at high speed but clears all data at a restart of MySQL. MEMORY is often used as temporary data space.
== CSV ==
CSV stores data in CSV (Comma Separated Value) file.
== FEDERATED ==
FEDERATED makes it look like as if tables in other MySQL servers are located locally.
== MySQL Cluster ==
MySQL Cluster is characterized as a “parallel”, “load distribution” and “high available” storage engine. It stores data distributing into many host machines. MySQL Cluster supports transaction and adopts the shared-nothing architecture.
*You can find detailed information in the article I wrote for ThinkIT this month. 
ThinkIT Article written by Mikiya Okuno: http://www.thinkit.co.jp/article/95/
There are more storage engines available from MySQL as well as from third-party storage engines (NitroDB, SolidDB, PBXT and etc).
Please refer to the manual below for storage engine details.
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.1/ja/pluggable-storage-overview.html
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Mikiya Okuno, MySQL Support Engineer
Sun Microsystems KK, Tokyo, Japan
http://www-jp.mysql.com/
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I will introduce MySQL more from technical standpoint for future. Please look forward to it!
Thank you,
Kazumi